please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
'Discovered' one of the limited attractions of Surbiton on Tuesday early evening. The Marstons Pedigree was OK - it was the Pilgrims Bitter that really appealed. The food was ok - a bit tired as if the salmon had been around for a while. My buddy had the pork steaks, which he rated higher. With friendly staff, we were both pretty content.
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Typical Wetherspoons, good range of beer. No complaints about quality. Underrated on here.
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It is indeed a sympathetic conversion in so far as it is clear what the former use was and is celebrated in the decor and pictures on the walls. Seperate gallery drinking area with views over the main bar. Eight different ales on handpump, including 5 guests which rotate. Seemingly good turnover so beers in decent condition. Perfectly acceptable venue with the bonus of Spoons prices.
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Well for an ale drinker you are spoilt for choice...plenty criticise Wetherspoons pubs...but they are incredibly popular so must be doing plenty right..staff surprisingly knowledgeable considering the range of ales..the speed of sale almost guarantees a good pint...my Pilgrim Porter was superb..if only I had arrived earlier it could have been drunk with what must be the best priced breakfast in the universe! And what a sympathetic refurb. BQ 8.5
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Re the last comment - if you knew what you were talking about it might be worth reading! Seriously no pub sells real ale 2 weeks out of date!
I tried the Exmoor Beast on Friday night and I guarantee that would not be sitting around for that length of time.
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I have only graced this establishment once in my many years of drinking, however the one time I did, I was rather impressed at the range of beverages and food on offer. Of course being jdw it is remarkably cheap, not without its downsides however, with ales being served way below optimum pleasure levels, Id imagine to hide the fact that they were most probably off, by quite a few weeks at that. I advise sticking to the lagers.
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Like all the Wetherspoon chain this pub offers cheap booze and food and nobody can get near them for sheer value.
Because of this however, this place is full of red eyed chavs who look as if they have been living in a hedge, no-hopers from the ymca social services hotel who shout at the wall when they are skint and pikeys who get hammered on their dole money.
I have never seen any trouble there though.
Great place for its uniqueness and the human circus at lunchtime.
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Not a review but a response to a previous request !
The Coronation was originally built as a cinema. When it opened on 21 June 1911, the day of King George V's coronation (hence the name) it was capable of seating 600 people. Later renamed The Roxy, 1947, and then The Ritz, 1965, it continued showing movies until 1966. Subsequently used as a bingo hall. When the bingo venture ended, there was an abortive attempt to convert the building into a naturist health club. Now a Wetherspoon pub with a name very close to its original title. Hope this is of some interest. TTFN.
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A fairly decent JDW which doesn't seem to attract the "uber-chav" element seen all too often in Kingston. Have to agree with the previous comment about the fruit machines / ITbox though - stick a quid in and within 5 seconds you'll have someone peering over your shoulder ready to jump on straight after you. Argh - pikeys - NO!
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Agree with PunkRockBee about the doormen, very polite and friendly. A few small groups of chavs, some looking barely old enough to drink but the atmosphere was OK during my visit. Pub was surprisingly quiet for 9 o'clock on a Saturday night. Some of the bar staff much more friendly and welcoming than others.
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Suprisingly, the doormen are some of the sweetest out there. They're not as aggressive as most and don't go all Nazi-ish when it comes to ID and open the door for you as well as saying 'hello' and 'goodnight'.
The place is HUGE and lavishly decorated (does anyone know what the building used to be?) I like that it has a mezzanine level too. BUT, being a Wetherspoons, of course it's full of chavs and you can't get to the fruit machines or ITbox for fear of your life as this is where all the pikeys congregate to blow their dole money.
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Good for breakfast and that's about it!!
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He may know his real ales but why does he serve them so darn cold? My pint of Grand Union One Hop was too cold to taste. They advertise 'the coldest beer in town' but that shouldn't apply in this case (but it shouldn't be warm either).
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AVERAGE AT BEST
anonymous - 5 Feb 2007 00:32 |
One of the better Wetherspoons .Current manager knows his real ales.
anonymous - 4 Feb 2007 20:13 |
Best thing about this pub is the staff, they are really polite and I find them to be quick. The bad thing is it is so smoky, hits you as you walk in, remains until you leave. Its like sitting in a cloud. Overall tho, its ok for a spoons, better than the Tun.
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A unique pub with a very elaborate interior. There is gold gilding on the roof, with a relief of the solar system on one end wall. It is themed with artifacts from the cinema. There is plenty of comfortable seating with long bar.
I was served quickly and efficiently despite being a Friday evening and it was during their Half Moon beer festival. There was a fine range of 12 real ales, including some very unusual ones which you don't normally see in a pub.
The usual Wetherspoon food but I didn't eat there so I can't comment on its quality. One of the best Wetherspoons I have visited and is well worth a visit.
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From a Surbiton nearly pensioner - do go there quite a lot - and yes it is barking mad at times - but I enjoy the floor show! Drinks not really that cheap any more, teenagers in near bikinis and tattoos, just good if you go there early evening to meet friends etc. Hint - have straw in drink, as you never know! Decor is now diabolical - frayed seats, loos with no locks, tables dirty, but still go there!
anonymous - 29 Oct 2006 22:43 |
This is a follow up on my previous visit of 20 September last. To-day, 20 October was the first day of Wetherspoons Autumn Beer Festival. There we were expecting some great beers and all we got was 4 rather weak bitters plus all the usual ones, Pedigree, Abbott, Spitfire and Courage Best. As far as this JDW outlet was concerned - what beer festival?? No advertising nor any leaflets to say what was on offer. After 3 pints we left and proceeded to the 'Cap in Hand' at Hook.
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I visited this pub yesterday, 19 September and found it to be not as bad as described. They usually have a good range of real ales and are usually served in good condition. The leather sofas at the top end in the non-smoking area are falling apart. One chair seems to be supported by breeze blocks and the stuffing is coming out of the sofas. No doubt helped by some of their customers. The upstairs non-smoking area is awkward to reach if you want to take up more than 2 drinks. Some form of dumb-waiter would be useful (I am not referring to the staff|). Although the staff seemed to have changed again but the service was efficient.
I and my friends usually visit this pub about once a fortnight and we are quite happy with it.
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its a wetherspoons.........enough said!
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Great for a spot of brunch early on the weekend. Agree with previous comments, i.e. full of freaks. Non-smoking area is a pull to this pub, but shame it is so small considering the size of the pub.
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Love this pub - quick service at the bar, drinks are fairly priced and staff are nice. VERY busy on Friday and Saturday nights but what can you expect! Hard to find somewhere to sit occassionally which is a downfall. Great mix of people visit this pub.
anonymous - 5 Jun 2006 22:02 |
this is a vulgar place, full or vulgar people. For some strange reason they have also decided that a good idea in a pub this size is to make the smoking section a long corridor in the middle, where you can never get a seat and is always packed, where in the vast no smoking areas an echo can be heard. Stupid idea. Whenever i have been there, they have always run out of at least one thing that someone i'm with is drinking.
Avoid it.
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Little bit like watching the local wildlife in full techicolour......full of LA women, jailbait, Surbiton pensioners and missing links
Bloody brilliant
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Yep, the lure of JDW prices enticed us through the door. And we found a table in the gallery area and the beer was OK. But oh my goodness, the place was barking mad. And not in a good way. We had a superb vantage point to take in the squabbles and arguments, to observe the body language of "deeply offended" as well as "about to cop off with the wrong person". No fights while we were there but I can imagine there might well have been after we left. Maybe a good idea that there's no music - one less thing for the lively punters to argue about. Best as an early evening pub I'd say.
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I like the Corry Hall, but recommend that you dont go on a Friday night, WAY TOO BUSY! Always a good selection of ales on the go, some interesting pictures and articles on the wall relating to the history of Surbiton. I like how it is split up in a number of areas, makes it feel less big, ie too big. I find it nice during the day when it is quite peaceful, you can sit and have a chat and a beer with a friend without worrying that you are 'hogging' a table.
Doesn't have that 'cosey' atmosphere though, I like it and thats what matters to me!
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Was in there on fight night! Bottles being thrown, people getting hit with chairs, police with riot sheilds.... Just another normal night for the Corrie!
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Even when it's hot outside it is freezing in here because of the air conditioning. Like most Wetherspoons, a few lone drunks populate an aircraft hanger of a building totally lacking in atmosphere. Though is cheap if you want somewhere to start off with.
anonymous - 30 Dec 2005 09:55 |
Big Wetherspoons pub with a range of real ales
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A real depressing place, has no atmosphere and no music only desent if you are with a group.
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problem with the student bar at kingston uni is its really rubbish. i always opted for the coronation or the rising sun for a couple of pints on the way home when i was at uni there rather than go to the union.
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Is my local, will still be my local, but has gone downhill a bit of late. Especially on Friday nights around this time of year. Getting served can be a nightmare, due to one of two things: (1) Great big groups of students, none of whom ever seem to drink in rounds, all ordering in singles (and why can't they drink in their student bars? Aren't they cheap enough as it is?) and (2) Great big groups of 18-21 year olds, all necking vodka & Red Bulls or some other cocktail concoction that takes ages to make up in a great big jug (why don't people drink proper things like pints these days?)
It used to be over-21s only in days gone by, and was so much better then...
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The manager needs to get some balls and sort out the problem customers...once you let them get away with randomly abusing customers for one evening they'll come back everytime for more.
Looks like it may need a new manager with some balls to stop the rot.
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It is full of pikeys which is odd as they have a 'no hats' policy, which would have put most of the baseball cap/hoody combination wearing fraternity right off.
Apart from having the usual low Wetherspoon standards, rubber food, lack of atmos etc. my biggest dislike are the staff. on one occasion after ordering a pint and being told to hurry up while choosing an ale, we failed to gain anything other than a gruffly spoken "£2.20" from the bar manager - noi please, thank you etc. He then threw us out when I said thank you, nice to see service with a smile. lovely friendly place.
Chris - 25 Aug 2004 13:07 |
Is one great big room, zero atmpsphere (the bit up at the top is ok though if you can get a seat among the briefcase carrying suit brigade). Typical 'Spoons really, except not as nice.
Jane - 17 Aug 2004 12:07 |
best wetherspoons ive been to (though thats not saying much).
i found the clientle to be better than ur average wetherspoons.
yeah the beer is poor and there is not atmosphere and all wetherspoons are the same... but when ur a broke student that doesnt matter as much as the prices.
anthony - 20 May 2004 22:56 |
4 loud and obnoxious lads in the right bay window were shouting insults and obscenities to all and sundry on saturday afternoon. Apparently me and a mate were 'effing faggots' and thats just the milder insult,and repeated in cyclic fashion and nausium (i didn't even know faggots were on the menu, no meatballs listed either!)
The supervisor on shift didn't see this as a problem that needed dealing with ?
Oh, and have had wrong beer served on several occasions.
That supervisor should be sacked for permitting such behaviour on his shift.
jon-paul - 11 May 2004 13:58 |
Barmaids getting the orders wrong, dirty glasses, dodgy clientelle (including shady suit wearer pissing in the corner in the toilets). Still. It's cheap and close to the station.
Atz - 6 Apr 2004 12:29 |
Despite the comments above, not such a pikey venue, but does indeed feature cheap drink and food. The foods ok, the drink is.. well drink. Altogether my favourite Surbiton pub, because its close, cheap and its large (not filled with smoke)
Chris Thomas - 25 Mar 2004 17:52 |
For a Wetherspoons it's got quite a low ratio of drinkers to pikeys, ok, but not many surprises to be honest.
Scotty Boy - 13 Jan 2004 13:51 |
It's just another typical Wetherspoons pub..Cheap drink, cheap food, cheap customers.
crazyfunster - 18 Dec 2003 21:41 |
the ex brothel decor is its best feature in an otherwise standard wetherspoon format
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Take one of the most interesting old buildings in Surbiton (it used to be a theatre / cinema / town hall), turn it into a naturist gym but never open because you are really one giant brothel, then finally decide to be a pub with history. In theory a really interesting venue, but in reality just another soul-sapping Wetherspoon's, opening up in a high street near you trying very hard to harmogonise the town centres of England and give Pikey's everywhere a place to drink / fight.
Chris - 1 Dec 2003 10:31 |
nice cheap pub to get pissed in, just avoid the tramps and the SITA guys to the left of the bar
anonymous - 17 Jun 2003 15:45 |
The great thing about Wetherspoons is that they do try to maintain a cask ale at a reasonable price. The problem is that it attracts sad drunks. The lack of music and pure size of the place means that the atmosphere can be flat.
Mike - 24 Mar 2003 17:38 |
Very cheap beer, but no atmposhere whatsoever. Always seem to take an age to get served even the bar is huge. Often full of drunk old men!
Ilsa - 24 Mar 2003 16:13 |
Dull pub with with no atmosphere and poor (but dirt cheap) beer.
Angus - 19 Mar 2003 17:47 |
really nice decor (nicer than the kingstun - not hard though) - food selection is pretty standard but the sunday roasts are well worth it and poss the best value in the area. As with all these pubs drinks are cheap. Atmosphere can verge on the old persons getting lagered but other than that it's a great pub and the staff are really poite
simon - 30 Sep 2002 13:24 |
A Jewel in the Spoon, the Coronation Hall is one of the more imaginative conversions undertaken by this mammoth chain. Unlike the Kings Tun in nearby Kingston, the Coronation Hall is not ruined by filth, drunken yoof or staff that don't give a toss. The food is always prepared perfectly (not that much preparation is involved), and the staff are lovely. On the downside, it can take a while to get served even when the pub is not particularly busy. Give me Chicken Balti and a few bottles of Coldwater Creek in this pub and I am a happy man indeed.
Loz - 9 Aug 2002 11:57 |
The coronation hall is like no other weatherspoons i have ever been to (quite e few by the way) unlike most spoons the corrie has not got that dull unfriendly image that the rest seem to have or the robotic like staff that wolud not care if they were serving drinks or hamburgers at the local fast food shop, the corrie staff seem that they really do enjoy there work and they all seem good friends, even when they are not at work they are all a regular sight in other pubs and clubs in the area they always say hi when they see in and out of work. i would like to suggest that the rating for this pub should be raised to at least match the best in surbiton or even better as for the limited attrections that the pub has to offer the staff always seem to make a evening fly by (not only because of the cheap drinks)
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